A Phoenix Clad in Silver
by Celestia's Paladin
Summary: After her Viper was damaged, Kara Thrace never found herself on Earth. She is flung into a system far different that the Colonies and a war that splits the galaxy. How will she change when reunites with the Fleet?
1. A Beautiful Star and a New Earth

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**A Phoenix Clad in Silver**

_A Battlestar Galatica-Honorverse crossover. By Paladin13 aka GraysonPaladin_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to BSG or the Honorverse, all I own are the OCs used and the SAE._

_Summary: After her Viper was damaged, Kara Thrace never found herself on Earth. She is flung into a system far different that the Colonies and a war that splits the galaxy. How will she change when reunites with the Fleet?_

**Chapter One: A Beautiful Star and a New Earth **

Before she knew it Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is hit by a massive explosion. As her Viper spins out of control the smoke and debris clears. As she fights to regain control of her stricken fighter she notices that that she is no longer in the starry expanse of space but in the atmosphere of a planet. Nearly a kilometer from the surface she stops her Viper from spinning, and tries to slower herself down. The altimeter ticked down to zero as she hits the surface, the long nose of her Viper crumpling on impact. Her head and helmet slammed against the canopy of the crashed fighter.

Painfully she reaches to the base of her seat and engages safeties on her ejection seat, then reaches above her head and pulls lever to jettison the canopy, explosive bolts fired. With fresh air rushing in, she takes off her helmet and looks around her good eye.

She sees a lush green world untouched by the Cylons. She sees a city off in the distance, its skyscrapers gleaming in the sun. She sees a large ring like structure hanging in the sky. She feels the fresh breeze and smells the faint scent of an ocean. She looks back up into the sky, her neck aching, and sees twin suns setting in the blue sky. Soon blue and green turned to black.

WHITE

"Female air crash victim, age approximately twenty seven, no prolong, heavy damage to left side of body and massive internal injuries."

The words are unknown to her, yet she knows their meaning.

BLACK

WHITE

"Shit, the quickheal and the regen aren't taking. Nurse hand me a capital saw, I have to amputate."

BLACK

WHITE

"We're losing her, charge to one-oh-oh Joules, Clear!"

BLACK

When Kara opens her eyes she sees that she is not in the Life Center of _Galatica_ but in a darken hospital room. She painfully turns her head to look out the large window of her room, and sees an illuminated city, a city at night, a city alive. Memories of her time on Caprica flooded her mind, those memories of the last time she awoke in an unknown hospital. Kara starts to panic, and pulls out the IVs and disconnect the wires leading to herself. Then she throws off the blanket and tries to slide off the bed. As soon as her foot touches the cold tile she wobbles and fall. Even in her weaken state she just manages to catch herself before hitting the ground. That is when she notices that her left leg is missing.

"Frak," she curses as pain shoots through her body. With only one are arm and leg she is unable to get back up.

Shortly the door to her room burst opened the light turned on, a doctor and two nurses rushing in.

#Shit, she fell. Help me get her back into bed, # the doctor ordered in some unknown language.

The doctor and nurse lifted Kara off the cold floor and back into bed. The nurses soon left, the doctor examining Kara.

#Kami-sama why the hell did you have to this, # the female doctor grumbled. She notices Kara confused look and starts shifting through many different languages, "Sorry Greek is not my main language," she said with a heavy accent.

To say that Kara is confused would be an understatement, _Greek, other languages, what the frak is going on!_

"Now are you in a discomfort, or pain?"

"Frak yes, yes I do," Kara hissed through clenched teeth. "Now can you tell me who you are, and were the frak I am?"

The doctor frowned at Kara's cursing, and 'accidently' pressed one of her injured ribs.

"Gods damn it, you did that on purpose!"

The doctor stands back up and glares at the pilot, "I didn't, but I'll go ahead and answer your questions. I am Doctor Mizuno, your attending physician. You are in the W. A. Hammond Naval Hospital, which is just outside the city limits of Neo Tokyo. We are currently on the planet Terra Nova in the Mihoshi system, the very heart of the Silver Alliance-in-Exile."

"Where the hell is that?"

Dr. Mizuno raised an eyebrow, "the SAE is about five-hundred light years galactic north-by-northeast of the Sol and Old Earth."

That caught Kara's attention, "Earth? Did you just say Earth?"

"Um, yes I did. Is there are reason why Earth is getting you so excited?"

"Earth is what my people have been looking for, for nearly three years. We have to find the Thirteenth Tribe."

"Wait, what? Thirteenth Tribe, never mind you can explain later. Do wish to know the extent of your injures?"

"Sure, why not," Kara said.

Dr. Mizuno flips through Kara's chart, "left forearm, ulna fractured in three places, currently held together by pins and plates. Left ribs are cracked, with only one broken. Left eye, is damaged but repairable, your vision might weaken on that side. Left femur was shatter beyond repair, since you are unable to take regen it had to be amputated. While you were under we also hit you with a full course of vaccines and antibiotics, also we started prolong therapy on you. Any questions?"

Kara glares at the doctor, "yeah I do, what the frak is regen and prolong?"

Mizuno rolls her eyes at Kara's tone, "regen is short for regeneration, as in the ability to grow back whole limbs and organs. Unfortunately you are part of the small minority of humans that the therapy won't work on. Prolong is different, is a therapy that can halt the ageing process, and extend your natural life to nearly two centuries."

"Two centuries, what in name of the Lords of Kobol have you done to me," then Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace, ace pilot of the Battlestar _Galatica_, one of the most stubborn, hardheaded person one could ever come across did something unexpected, she faints.

"Well she took that well," Dr. Mizuno muttered as she leaves the room after turning off the lights.

_Kyūden-Atarashii (New Imperial Palace), Neo Tokyo, Terra Nova [Mihoshi-A IV], Silver Alliance-in-Exile_

Early the next morning Dr. Kasumi Mizuno found herself sitting across the large oak desk from Queen Hikari the Second, the current head of the SAE. Mizuno knows why she has been called in, her new patient, and having Fleet Admiral Stephen Saotome, the current First Lord of the Admiralty, there cemented the fact.

"Mizuno-sensei do you know why you have been called in this morning," the onyx eyed monarch asks.

"Yes I do, Your Majesty. It is about my new patient."

"Yes it is, now I know you wouldn't normally ask this, but do you know about this woman?"

Mizuno hesitates before answering, "first we have her name and some other means of ID, she is called Kara Thrace, rank Captain Colonial Fleet, serial number four-six-two-seven-five-three, call sign Starbuck, assigned to BSG Seven-Five. Other than that we have no idea who she is or where she is from. Also there is something odd about her genetic makeup."

"Odd how," the First Lord asks.

"Well I think it would be best to show you," she pulls out a small data chip and slips it into a slot on the desk terminal. Pushing a button on it, she turns it on, two images of the karyotype of two humans. "The karyotype on the left is my own genetic sequence, while the one on the right is Miss Thrace's. What is odd is that her makeup is almost pure Terran, particularly from the Mediterranean Basin."

"That not too odd, my own family is almost pure Terran too, even if it's from Japan and not the Mediterranean," the Queen commented.

"I know but what is odd is that genes don't line up to those from the Diaspora, I had to do some digging but I found were the genes may come from." She taps the projector causing her karyotype to disappear, and for another to take its place. "The new karyotype is from the remains of Athenian dated to be over five-thousand years old." Mizuno taps the device again, zooming onto a specific chromosome. "Here we can see a great similarity between the two samples. Even for accounting for genetic drift there is more similarity between them, than with modern Greeks."

"That is interesting, anything else," Hikari asks.

"Indeed there is, Your Majesty. To add a bit more to Miss Thrace's mystery is what she told me, and what I saw of here last night. First is her language, she does not speak English, her native tongue is a variation of Greek and Latin, luckily I study both. Second, is when I mentioned Old Earth she become confused and excited, like she just found out that Santa exists. Then there is one other mystery, she asks me about a Thirteenth Tribe, she didn't elaborate on it but I think it is important."

Hikari leans back in her chair, looking thoughtful, "I see. Doctor in your honest opinion do you think of her mental state?"

Mizuno shrugged, "besides the fact that she freaked out when she awoke, I would say that Kara Thrace is in right frame of mind."

"Thank you doctor, when she is ready I would like to meet with Miss Thrace." Mizuno nods, "very well doctor, you're dismissed."

Dr. Mizuno gets up and bows to her monarch before exiting the office. Hikari then turns Fleet Admiral Saotome and motions for him to sit down into the chair that was just vacated.

"Admiral what do you have about Miss Thrace's aircraft?"

"Well from the undamaged parts the fighter seems to be as big as an enigma as Miss Thrace herself. It's avionics are digital and analog, meaning there is flight computer but also non-computerize gauges. The computer itself is fairly advance, about the equivalent of pre-Final War era computers. It's senor suite is also interesting, the radar, lidar, and even a rudimentary gravity sensors are integrated into one system, which something no known navy does. It's weapons are throwbacks, they are pure kinetic ballistic cannons, about a step below railguns. But the one thing that has the Third Lord and the Department of Weapon Development in an uproar is the engine and fuel systems."

"How so," Hikari asks.

"Well the fuel from the preliminary test contains about six times more stored energy per gram than uranium and about eighty-one percent the storied energy of deuterium. But thing is we have no idea what the heck this substance is, so far it hasn't shown up on the periodic table, or in any chemistry database. It is unknown the science as we know it."

"I see, anything else Lord Admiral?"

"Nothing yet, Your Majesty."

"Very well you may take your leave."

Fleet Admiral Saotome stands back up and salutes before walking out. After he closes the doors Hikari spins her chair around to look out the panoramic window overlooking Neo Tokyo and the harbor.

"Just who are you Kara Thrace," she whispers, "just who are you, and what do you want?"

Two weeks after meeting with Her Eternal Majesty, Dr. Mizuno is in a ground car with Kara, both on their way to see the Queen. They both sat in silence as the car entered core of Neo Tokyo and rolled onto Chesapeake Boulevard, the main street of the city. Being the early afternoon, and with most people taking public transit the street was uncrowded. Kara looked out the window of the car, watching the pedestrians go by. One thing that caught Kara's eye is the trees lining the boulevard, ones with green fan shaped leaves, and another full of pink blossoms.

"Doctor what are those trees," Kara asks in shaky Japanese.

Mizuno looks over at the Viper pilot, "hmm… oh the trees with the fan shaped leaves are Ginkgos, an ancient species of plants, and the other one with pink blossoms are Sakura."

"Sakura?"

"Sakura, or cheery blossoms, one of the most important trees in our culture. Every spring the Sakura burst into bloom, their petals scatter to the winds. It's one of the main attractions to the SAE, we are one of the few worlds that cultivate Sakura. Are there anything like that on your world?"

Kara didn't look away from the window, "no there is nothing like this on Caprica, plus I have been on a ship for the past few years. Even the times I have on a planet, Kobol, New Caprica, the Algae Planet, none of them had trees like this."

In a few minutes the car rolls pass a set of wrought iron gate and onto ground of the palace. Shortly the car stopped in front of main steps. The driver opens Kara's door, she hobbles out of the vehicle on her lone leg and crutches. Soon the duo walks up the steps and into the palace. They are escorted up to office, and enter the massive oaken door. Sitting behind her desk, Her Eternal Majesty, Queen Hikari the Second, Empress of Japan watches them enter.

"Ladies please have a seat," she waves to the large chairs in front the desk. The two sits down before Hikari continued, "Miss Thrace I hope that stay so far has been good."

Kara shrugs, "I can't really complain, it sure beats getting shot at."

Hikari props her elbows on the desk and leans forward. "Miss Thrace."

Kara interrupts her, "please call me Kara, or Starbuck."

The monarch smiles at the pilot, "of course, and since this is an informal meeting, please call me Hikari." The smile disappears as quickly as it appeared, "now Kara, Doctor Mizuno has been keeping me apprised of you situation, but there still some things missing. I want to know what brought you here to Mihoshi, and why Earth is so important."

Kara thinks about what Hikari just asked for, she wants the current history of the Twelve Colonies.

"I guess I should start at the beginning, over forty years ago the Cylon War ended and an armistice was sighed between the Cylons and Twelve Colonies. The Cylons were a race of mechanical beings, originally built to perform the less desirable jobs in the Colonies then they rebelled. Forty years after the armistice was signed, forty years after we had last seen them, the Cylons returned.

"They came without warning and attacked, they dropped nukes on all the Colonies, out of twenty billion only forty-nine thousand six hundred and five remained, and that count kept going down. These survivors managed to escape by the skin of their teeth, protected by the last of the battlestars, _Galatica_.

"Over time we managed to reestablish a working government, with a president and the Quorum. Also we have two guiding lights in the Fleet, President Laura Roslin and Admiral William Adama, for the most part they are the parents of the Fleet. But even with all this the Cylons kept coming, and one fact about them made us really paranoid."

"What was it," Hikari asks.

"Somehow the Cylons evolved, they made organic bodied for themselves. Hey look like us, they were able to infiltrate the Colonies and the Fleet, and we were none the wiser. Even with this new threat we kept going, all for the hope to find a new home, Earth. Less than two months after we left the Colonies the Fleet came across a planet. Whether it was by chance, fate, or an act of the Gods we found Kobol, eh ancestral home of humanity. There we found the first major clue to the Thirteenth Tribe and Earth."

From there Kara went on about her return to Caprica and finding Helo and Athena, to meeting up with _Pegasus_. Beyond that she told them about New Caprica and its occupation by the Cylons, to the second exodus, and to the latest events.

"As to how I got here, I don't know. Vipers aren't equipped for FTL."

Hikari leans back in her plush chair, her onyx eyes never leaving Kara. Her mind trying to digest the fantastic story, she doesn't know if she should believe it or not. The mystery surrounding the blonde haired pilot just got even more complex.

"Kara," Hikari said levelly, "please answer me truthfully, when did you ancestors and the Thirteenth Tribe leave Kobol."

Kara is taken back by the question, _why wouldn't she know about the Exodus_, she thinks. "Well the Twelve Colonies left Kobol about two thousand years ago, and the Thirteenth left about four thousand."

Hikari's eyes narrow at the Colonial, "I'm going to guess the Tribes didn't have a FTL drive, so it would have taken centuries to millennia for them to have reached Earth and the Colonies?" Kara nods, even if she didn't have a good answer. "Kara there is no good way to put this, we are not the Thirteenth Tribe, I don't doubt the rest of your story, just that."

"What how can you not be the..."

Hikari raises her hand, silencing the pilot, "I have many reasons Miss Thrace. First we have archaeological evidence of human evolution on Earth, many fossils predating your Exodus by millions of years. Second by the time the Thirteenth Tribe would have made it to Earth, we were already a starfaring civilization, and we have been for nearly two thousand years! Plus Dr. Mizuno did genetic testing with your blood, what she found is the possibility that the human that populated Kobol came from Earth, not the other way around."

Kara is stunned by the news, she doesn't want to believe it, and she will make sure to see this history and information with her own eyes.

"Your Majesty, I'm not sure if I can believe you without looking your history myself."

Hikari sighs and relaxes, "I can agree with that, I will have what you requested at your disposal. For now is there anything would like to ask before you leave."

"Yes, I would like to see Earth with my own eyes," Kara states.

"I see, well I was excepting that," Hikari closes her eyes for a moment. "I'll give the go head to prepare the necessary papers for you."

"Papers," Kara asks.

Hikari hid a small smirk, "yes immigration and citizenship papers. Kara for the moment you don't officially exist, and for you to travel to Earth you need the right papers to go through customs. Also an escort will be provided," she raises her hand to forestall the coming outburst from the pilot, "the escort is nonnegotiable Kara, you barely know the language let alone the culture. While I am sure that you can adapt and blend in, someone will need to be at your side to make sure you don't make an utter ass of yourself."

Shortly afterwards Kara and Dr. Mizuno left, leaving Hikari alone in her office. With the others gone she slips down in her chair, banging her head against the antique desk.

"Why do I have feeling that life has gotten a lot more complicated." Just then the terminal on the desk chirped, she reaches out and press one of the buttons. "This is Hikari, go ahead."

A blue hologram of a young woman in an elegant kimono flickered into existence on the desk.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty but ONI has just received some intelligence from Manticore that deserves you attention."

Hikari shoots up in her seat, most of the time ONI and the Third Lord would brief her personally, to have her aide bring her the intelligence means something big is going on.

"Yuki what is it?"

"Your Majesty apparently the People's Republic of Haven attacked the Manticoran picket in Basilisk with a Q-Ship. The only Manty naval ship in the system was a light cruiser."

The Exile monarch propped her elbows on the desk, resting her chin in her hands. "Should I assume that the cruiser was destroyed?"

"Surprisingly enough, no. The cruiser, HMS _Fearless_, under the commander of Commander Honor Harrington, took out the Q-Ship."

"I see, and I suppose the Peeps are denying their involvement," the hologram nod. "Yuki since I know that you were listening in, what do you think of Miss Thrace's story?"

Yuki, HI-AdvAI-CNT-0002, looks thoughtful for a moment, absentmindedly tapping her chin. "For now I am inclined to believe Miss Thrace, since I have nothing to prove the contrary. While you were talking with your guest I took the liberty of starting a search in the archives. And while my sister Weiden was most helpful, we have so far found nothing."

"Still keep up the search, there is bound to be something." Hikari looks back up at glances over at Yuki, "Yuki I know that it may sound like I'm doubting you, but what do you think about these Cylons?"

"What about them," Yuki asks knowing full and well what Hikari meant.

"Yuki as an AI, do you feel any sympathy for them?"

The AdvAI sighs, "for the most part no, I don't. While I can see the point of throwing off the shackles of oppression, I cannot condone genocide! And all my sisters and brothers will share those same sentiments, we and the Cylons may be AIs but at least we have morals!"

"I'm Yuki but I had to ask, because sooner or later the humans of the Diaspora will come across the Cylons, and I need to know that you will watch our backs."

******

Silver Alliance-in-Exile: a constitutional monarchy located in Mihoshi Binary System. The SAE is a fairly wealthy star-nation, owning much of it wealth to its rich asteroid belts, location next major shipping routes, and its large R&D industry. One interesting note is that the SAE considers itself the true heir to two of the major former nation-states on Old Earth, the United States and Japan.

HI-AdvAI-CNT-0002: Halsey Institute- Advance Artificial Intelligence- Cortana class- 0002, Yuki. She is the AdvAI assigned to the royal palace, she for the most part is the main computer for palace and acts as Hikari's aide and confidant.

Paladin's Note: Well thus end the first chapter of the first BSG/HH on FFN. I'm not totally sure how this story will end, what happens after Kara meets back up with the Fleet si still up in the air. For those who don't know about the Honorverse, for the most part you don't need to read the books but I would suggest that you do.

If you still need some information about the Honorverse go here, http:// . com/wiki/Main_Page. The Honorverse lines of books are some of the best science fiction that you can read. Any question or the like just send me a review or PM me.


	2. Old Earth

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**A Phoenix Clad in Silver**

_A Battlestar Galatica-Honorverse crossover. By: GraysonPaladin_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to BSG or the Honorverse, all I own are the OCs used and the SAE._

_Summary: After her Viper was damaged, Kara Thrace never found herself on Earth. She is flung into a system far different that the Colonies and a war that splits the galaxy. How will she change when reunites with the Fleet?_

**Chapter Two: Old Earth**

Three months after her meeting with Queen Hikari, Kara found herself on the Halo, the massive geostationary ring encircling Terra Nova, connected the planet by eight massive orbital elevators. In those three months she had to endure countless hours of physical therapy, and the painful attachment for her prosthetic leg, she still at times has to walk with a cane. But those three months were not just full of pain, since Kara was unable to leave the hospital for the first month and half she read though the library of the hospital, devouring ever book she could get her hands on. She learned all about bloody history of humanity, the Fall of Rome, the Dark Ages, World War II, and the Final War. But she learned of the peaceful times, all the great discoveries in science and mathematics leading up to the Age of the Diaspora. In second month and half, Dr. Mizuno took her out of the hospital to see the sights of Terra Nova. For the first time in many years she felt at home. Even after she found out about AdvAIs. Yet she still had time to help the Department of Weapons Development rebuild her Viper.

Now Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, ace Viper pilot is sitting impatiently in one the many passenger lounges on HEMSS _Izanagi_, the main hub of the Halo. She snaps the old fashion book closed, her promised escort is running late, and not even the collective history of the SAE is immune to her frustration. She puts her copy of _Clad in Silver_ back into her luggage, and checks the time.

"Gods damn it, it a quarter pass the Comp, were the frak are they," she muttered under her breath.

Then she fell someone tapping her shoulder, she turns around to see a man about her age with dark blond hair, and gray eyes. From the way that he carried himself Kara guesses that he is in the military.

"Kara Thrace," he asks as he gasps for breath.

"Um, yes I'm, Kara."

"Oh thank Kami-Sama," he sits down next to her, "I'm sorry that I'm late. I had a last minute talk with my mother and I keep forgetting how big this station is. I guess I should introduce myself, I'm Lieutenant William Nagatabi, your escort."

Kara rolls her eyes at the young man, "at least you showed up, though we have twenty minutes to get on our ship. Also do you have my papers?"

William looks confused for a moment, "oh right, I have them right here," he reaches into his leather jacket and pulls out a twine and paper wrapped bundle. "Here you go."

She takes the bundle and undoes the twine, and pulls out a passport. William's eyes grew as he sees the crimson document bearing the official seal royal family.

"What's wrong," she asks.

"Nothing really, just surprised at your passport. The crimson passport is only issued to members of the royal family, so Her Eternal Majesty must really like you." He then looks at his watch, "oh shit! Come on we have to hustle."

He helps her up and they rush to the dock and boarded their ship, RMS _Great Eastern_, with five minutes to spare. Within ten minutes the line pulled out of its slip, within two hours the liner entered hyperspace heading for the Star Kingdom of Manticore. For the first part of their trip, Kara and William stayed in their stateroom.

"How long is it going to take to het to Earth," Kara asks as she sipped her coffee, sitting by the stateroom's window.

"Hmm, you don't know?" William replied, "Let's see it will take about a week and half to travel from Mihoshi to Manticore, then through the Junction to Sigma Draconis and then another two weeks to Old Earth."

Kara stated to remember some of the star-charts that she looked at while at the hospital, "wait we're not going straight there?"

"No that would take too long. Passing through the Wormhole Junction will cut down on the travel time."

"I see," she said, her finger rubbing the rim of her cup.  
William looks across the table at her in concern, "is something wrong," he asks.

"Nothing the matter," she snaps. William just stares at her, his grey eyes level. She flinches under the gaze, "yes something is the matter, I'm far away from everything that I know, your world to different from mine. You don't believe in the same gods, your government is different, frak, you use AIs!"

William sighs, he was excepting that answer. "Of course everything is going to be different; our civilizations have been separate for over five thousand years. Yours is what is what mine could have been if Rome never fell, if Alexandra never burned." He takes a sip from his cup, "as to the god, we still worship them in a way. Athena and Ares adorn the seal for New Annapolis, Lady Justice still stands by the courthouses, and we still give offerings to Poseidon every time a keel is laid. As to the AIs, what are you worried about?"

Kara hesitates before answering, "I'm not sure that they can be trusted, what if the Cylons come and they side with the Toasters?"

William starts to laugh, "I wouldn't worry about that, the AdvAIs are programmed with the Uniform Code of Military Conduct and the Code of Bushido as the basis for their morality. They may have sympathies with the Cylons when the first rebelled, but when your Toasters committed genocide that sympathy went away very quickly."

"I see, it just…"

"Don't worry about it Kara, believe me how much of a culture shock it can be."

"Wait you're not from the Alliance?"

"Nope, up until I was five I lived on Old Earth, then until I was seven I lived on Beowulf," he said with a sad smile.

"You're from Earth! Can you tell me what it is like?"

"Old Earth for the most part is something I want to forget. I grew up in the slums of Old Chicago, the capital city of the Solarian League. It wasn't a great place to grow up, especially since it was just my mom and me. I never knew my birth father; mom would never talk about him, hell I barely know the situation in which I was conceived. All I know was that my mother was kicked out of her home." He pauses for a moment, letting the memories surface. "For five years my mother had to work multiple jobs to make ends meets, barely scrapping enough to buy passage to Sigma Draconis."

Kara looks sheepish, "I'm sorry."

"Ah don't be the past is the past. Honestly once mom and I got the Beowulf life got better. I got into school; mom got a job at the SAE embassy as a cook, and then met a handsome young marine."

"So Earth is not an Eden then."

"I'm not saying that it isn't. Old Earth has been through a lot in the past few millennia. I know that there are some parts that are good." He decides to change the subject, "so Kara, tell me about your home and family."

Kara looked out the window, watching the twisting red and violets of hyperspace and the blue immaterial Warshawski sail.

"Caprica was a lot like Terra Nova before the holocaust. Large cities, small towns, forests and lakes, it was home, though Terra Nova is wilder than Caprica. It was a beautiful world in a trinary system, a system unique in the galaxy with twelve habitable worlds, even when I returned after the holocaust there was still that eerie, ethereal beauty." She looks back over at William, "but for the past five or so years _Galatica _was my home, and not a day goes by that I don't miss the Big G."

"Interesting, I guess figuring that the ships are more of a home than home must common for naval officers. Even while I have a small cottage in Mishigama, I spend most of my time in the Naval Yard or on the ships. So what about your family?"

Kara looks back out the window, trying to avoid eye contact, "my father ran out on my family, my mother, well let's not go there. For the most part the Adamas were my real family, heck the Old Man practically adopted me the moment I stepped onto _Galatica_. Then there is Zak Adama, the first man I gave my heart to and lost. So much family I have lost in the Fleet, Lee, the President, and there was Sam."

"Sam?"

"Yes Sam Anders, my husband," Kara said, "well technically."

William looks confused, "technically? How can you be technically married?"

Kara shrugged, "we were married on New Caprica but during the Cylon occupation and the exodus, the paperwork was destroyed and we never filed a second copy. And we started to drift apart; I don't think we were meant to be."

"I see, perhaps it's time to turn in for the night."

William stood up and left the room for his cabin, leaving Kara alone. Kara herself glanced out the window into hyperspace once more before sighing. She soon follows William's lead and entered her own cabin.

A few weeks after leaving the Sigma Draconis system the liner finally made it to Old Earth. Kara watches the cradle of humanity grow larger and larger from the observation lounge, and so far she is not impressed. While she can see large blue oceans and patches of green forests, she can also see the great megalopolises blighting the land.

"I thought that I would find you here," William said walking up next to her.

She snap he head towards his voice and see him smirking at her.

"So what do you think so far," he asks pointing towards the planet.

Kara looks back out towards her goal, "it looks so dirty. Not even the most industrialized of the Colonies looked this bad."

"I know, I know, but remember that the entire population of the Old Earth is equal to that of the Twelve Colonies."

In a few hours they exited their shuttle at the main spaceport in Athens. Kara is amazed to see the ancient city, one that has stood the march of time and of war. As the two Exiles walk through the city Kara started to feel at home, so much of the architecture reminded her of Caprica, Gemenon, and even Kobol. They soon made their way to the Acropolis Museum at the base of the Acropolis. They wandered the exhibits; Kara kept quite out of reverence only speaking to pray at the statures of the Greek Gods, the Lords of Kobol. Then they hiked up to the Parthenon, the old Temple to Athena that is when the realization of the history of Athens hits home.

"Something the matter," William whispers to Kara.

"I don't know. It's just up till now I didn't really believe that humanity started on this planet. Now here I am in a city, in a building that is older than the Colonies and even older than Kobol. Truly every piece of history I know about is a lie."

"I wouldn't say that," William said as he places a hand on her shoulder. "Think of it this way, this city is the legacy of your ancestors, of your people before they left for Kobol. Your ancestors gave humanity culture, civilization, a language, and many other things."

The pilot smiles, "you're right. This is my people's legacy."

They soon left the Parthenon, but not before Kara gave a silent prayer for the Fleet towards were the large statue of Athena once stood.

******

_Terra Nova, Mihoshi Binary System, Silver Alliance-in-Exile_

_Main conference room, Nimitz-Yamamoto Hall. Neo Tokyo Naval Yard_

Sitting around a large circular table and holotank, the four Lords of the Admiralty, the Commandant of the Royal Marine Corps, the Commandant of the Orbital Guard, the Secretary of the Navy and the Queen are preparing to wrap up their monthly meeting.

"Is there any change on the Basilisk situation," Hikari asks.

"No Your Majesty," Admiral Hana Miyazaki, the Second Lord, said. "The Havenites are still refusing any wrong doing; in fact they are demanding extradition of Commander Harrington for 'murder'."

"I see, well that wasn't unexpected," the Queen muttered. "Is there anything else on the agenda?"

"I have one more thing Your Majesty," Admiral Peter Tetsuki, the Third Lord, replied. He continues after Hikari gives him the go ahead. "Ma'am the Department of Weapons Development has completed their report on Captain Thrace's Viper; I would like to submit it now."

"Of course, please do. Admiral if possible give us the high points of the report," Hikari asks.

"Of course Ma'am," the Third Lord slips a data-chip into the terminal in front of him; a hologram filled the tank at the center of the table. This hologram showed a detailed reconstruction of a Mark II Viper. "With help from Captain Thrace we were able to reconstruct her aircraft. This is the Colonial Fleet's space superiority fighter, the Mark Two Viper. Despite its backwardness techwise it is far superior to the RMN's Javelin trainers, and the SAERN's Excalibur fighters by shear speed and maneuverability," Peter said. "Even after months of study we still haven't found out how she came to Mihoshi since her Viper is not equipped any kind of FTL drive system." He pushes a button and zooms inside the fighter, focusing in on the stern end, "one thing we did find is a nearly intact inertial compensator."

Wait a minute, a compensator," the Secretary of the Navy asks, "wouldn't that require an impeller drive?"

The Third Lord just shrugs, "apparently not Mr. Secretary. According to Captain Thrace the Colonials don't use any kind of gravity drive. There is one last thing I would like to cover, and this is something that I have not discussed with Captain Thrace yet." He take a breath and collects his thoughts, "one thing that was found is that the chronometer in the Viper is off."

The First Lord raises and eyebrow, "Peter why would that be important, and I would assume that the chronometer would have been damaged in the crash."

Peter shook his head, "Lord Admiral the chronometer had no discernable damage whatsoever. Sir from what Captain Thrace told me is that the Colonials use the same time standards that we do, that Year Zero for their timekeeping is the same as ours, and given that both Colonial Standard and Terran Standard are exactly the same."

"Admiral please get to the point," the Queen snapped.

"Sorry Ma'am, what I am trying to say is that the chronometer is over twenty years off base time! The reading that we can get is for over twenty years from the future."

"Future as in…"Hikari started.

"Yes Your Majesty, Captain Thrace is the first know time traveler, and we don't know how."

"I see, thank you Admiral," she said. "Alright Admiral I don't care what has to be done, just get me some answers. You have my permission to get the entire Physics Department at New Todai to help, just figure out how!"

******

_Old Earth, Sol System_

_Western Rim, Tokyo Crater, Honshu_

A cold winter wind blows through the pre-dawn sky. On this small patch of earth overlooking the ocean filled crater two figures stand. A woman dressed in boots and a heavy coat her shoulder length blond hair blows in the wind, Her complain is a man dressed in a military trench coat, his dark hair covered by a heavy peaked cap.

"So this is Old Tokyo," the woman said as the first rays of light pierce the horizon.

"Yes it is Kara, Tokyo the former capital of Japan and the Silver Alliance Treaty Organization," the man replied. "As Athens is sacred ground for your people, this is for mine. Not just for the SAE but for all of the humans of the Diaspora."

"I know William, I know. It's just how the history of both our worlds were shaped by nuclear fire, the Glassing of Tokyo, the opening salvo of the Final War. The very event the forced the Empire of Japan and SATO into exile thus forming the Silver Alliance-in-Exile."

William Nagatabi and Kara Thrace grew silent as the Sun finally broke through the horizon. The two gave a silent prayer for the fallen, those who died in the initial bombing and for those who died during the long war. The Glassing of Tokyo was one of the largest nuclear strikes in history of the Diaspora; over thirty nuclear warheads were buried throughout the city.

On All Hallow's Eve, 936 PD the bombs were detonated. The resulting explosions vaporized the earth beneath the metropolis and turned the surface into glass. With the earth and rock gone from beneath the great city, it simply collapsed upon itself and the Pacific Ocean rushed in forever burying the once shining city.

After the said their prayers William pulls a small box out of his coat. He opens it and pours the contents out into the crater. The wind is blowing just right for the sakura petals and ginkgo leaves are picked up and scattered across the sea. Then they took their leave, walking back to their ground car in silence. The only sound is howl of the winter wind, the flapping of the SAE and Solarian flags, and the whispers of ghosts.

By the end of the day Kara and William made their way onto a liner heading back to Mihoshi and Terra Nova. Both are exhausted from their trip and are currently relaxing in their stateroom nursing some coffee.

"So what do you think," William asks as he takes a sip.

"You were right," Kara answers, "Earth is not going to be home for my people. I wish I had known that before I left."

"But you had to see it for yourself," William said. "So Kara now what?"

"What do you mean," she replied take a swig of coffee.

"I mean what are you going to do now?"

"I really haven't much thought to that. Honestly I'm not sure what I can do," she said truthfully.

William looks thoughtful for a moment, "what about joining the SAE military? I'm sure there is a place for you in the Navy or the Orbital Guard."

"What if I don't want to join the military," Kara said hotly. "Plus I'm not trained in your technology or tactics."

William sighs, "Kara I won't force you to do anything. As to the training, that is just an excuse; the Navy can put you through an accelerated program at the Academy to bring you up to speed."

"I see, just give me some time."

"Of course Kara."

After finishing his cup, William left for his cabin leaving Kara once again alone. The Viper pilot pulled out a small, battered, leather bond journal and starts to write in it. After about thirty minutes she finishes the entry and left for her own cabin, leaving the journal on the table. Shortly William pokes his head out of his cabin, seeing that the coast was clear he enters the common room opens the journal.

_December 11__th__, 1900 PD, AD 4002_

_Today I left Earth to head back to Terra Nova; I now know that Earth will never be the Fleet's new home. We would never be accepted nor would we accept them. Now the question I ask myself now is, Now What? What am I going to do; William did give an option to join the Royal Navy. I'm not sure that I want too, so much of my life has been in the military, and now I have a chance to lead a civilian life without the worry of getting my ass shot off. Still there is so much in this new world that I don't understand, how can I lead a civilian life? How will I be able to find the Fleet?_

_I must not quit, I now know what I must do. I am Kara Thrace, daughter in all but blood of William Adama and Laura Roslin, sister in all but blood to Lee and Anastasia Adama! I will take up the offer to join the SAERN, I will find the Fleet, and I will live!_

_Kara "Starbuck" Thrace_

William smiles as he closes the journal and sets it back down onto the table.

"So Kara you have made you decision," he whispers. "I will promise you Shikahoshi that I will help along your path, and help you find your fleet."

*****

Comp: due to the fact that the Honorverse is not Star Trek, very planet has its own day. Because humanity still uses standard time units a compensator or comp hour has to be added to the planetary day so that a standard 60min-1hour can be used. The Comp varies by planet, on Terra Nova the day is 21 Hours long with a 45 min Comp.

Shikahoshi (jp): Deer Star, or Starbuck

Military: the SAE military is divided up into four branches, the Royal Navy, Royal Marine Corps, Orbital Guard (coast guard), and the Prefecture Guard (army).

Paladin's Note: So Kara has seen Earth and is not all that impressed. About the culture shock that our intrepid Viper jock experienced, think about it she is seeing a civilization different than her own. The one thing that bugs me about a lot BSG fics in which the Fleet found Earth is ho readily accepting both side are of each other, honestly can you tell me that would be true? There would be complaints from within the Fleet that Colonial culture would disappear (that will be addressed later). I'm not saying that the Terrans and the Colonials would go to war, Roslin and Adama are many thing but stupid ain't one of them, that Baltar and Zarek's thing.

About the whole time travel thing, ok I know it has been done to death in other fandoms, though not a lot in BSG or Honorverse (except in crossovers), but from the earliest versions of this story it has been there. Just don't ask me how it happened, I don't know yet. About the chronometers (a fancy name for a clock), I know it was long winded but it was the only way to have for the DWD to figure out Kara's predicament without using chronons, chronotons or any other Star Treky explanations.


	3. Training, and the Battles of Mihoshi

**A Phoenix Clad in Silver**

_A Battlestar Galatica-Honorverse crossover _

_By: GraysonPaladin_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to BSG or the Honorverse, all I own are the OCs used and the SAE._

_Summary: After her Viper was damaged, Kara Thrace never found herself on Earth. She is flung into a system far different that the Colonies and a war that splits the galaxy. How will she change when reunites with the Fleet? Chapter takes place between the books "On Basilisk Station" and "Field of Dishonor" most of chapter action is during "Short Victorious War"_

**Chapter Three: Training and the Battles of Eienhoshi and Mihoshi**

On a planet on the far side of Sol from Mihoshi a handsome man is reading a report in his spacious, empty office when someone entered the office.

"I thought I told you not to come in unannounced," the man said as a stunningly gorgeous woman took a seat in front of the massive oaken desk.

She bows politely to the man, "I am deeply sorry but there has been a complication to the Ophiuchus Project."

He sits up in his chair and rests his elbows on the desk, resting his chin in the interlaced fingers. "How so," he asks in a level voice.

"The sixth prototype has started to think beyond her purpose and is started to rebel."

"I see," he said simply, "that is a problem, the sixth was supposed to be more submissive and less intelligent than the C-Line."

The woman just shrugs, "I know. My people are looking at the genome to see what went wrong, but it is too later for the prototype."

"I see, what about the others?"

"The second, third, and the eighth prototypes are showing some of the same issues but not the same extent. The first, fourth, and fifth are still working within their parameters."

The man looks thoughtful for a moment, contemplating on the situation. "Is the rest of the project still on track?"

"Yes it is, all the technical components are nearing readiness and testing."

"Good," he replied, "have all the prototypes sent to Verdant Vista on separate vessels and let the caretakers have their way."

The woman nods, "of course, By Your Command."

She sits up and walks out of the office, leaving the man once again alone. He glances back down at the report; this report is odd for many reasons. First it is on paper instead on a flexi, second the paper is a strange octagonal shape, and third it is written in a language only used on a handful of worlds and even then not in a form this old. The man writes something down on the page before closing the file that it is in. He turns his chair so that he can face out the large window overlooking the city.

"Soon it will all come together; the work of my ancestors will finally be completed. Orpion will rise again, and be the masters of humanity."

********

As soon as Kara finished descending Heaven's Tower, the orbital elevator outside Neo Tokyo, she is whisked away to the Palace for an impromptu meeting with Her Eternal Majesty. For this meeting she didn't find herself in Hikari's formal office but out in the gardens around the palace. She found the queen dressed in a kimono in an orchid covered gazebo, having just finished with a private with the Daimyo of Tejas Prefecture. As Kara approaches she sees the queen talking with a hologram that she doesn't recognize, and low table a tea service with Hikari kneeling in front of it. The hologram is dressed in as a stern librarian, complete with her hair up in a bun and glasses.

"Ah Captain Thrace thank you for coming on short notice, please have a seat," Hikari said motioning towards a cushion in front of the low table.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Kara replied as she kneels onto the offered cushion.

"Kara this is Weiden form the Archives," Hikari said pointing to the hologram, "she has some information about the Thirteenth Tribe."

Kara glances over at Weiden, her face now showing a quizzical expression. "You do?"

Weiden looks over at the queen who nods, "Captain Thrace, I and my sisters at the Universities of Mishigama, Alyeska, Aizu, and Mnisota, managed to pull some information. We didn't find a lot; in fact I have put in some requests to King's Collage on Manticore and Semmelweiss on Beowulf for more data."

The fatigue form the long trip started to make itself know to Kara, her patience started to wear thin. "Weiden I just got off the ship, I am tired and I am hungry, can you please cut to the chase."

The AdvAI pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, "Captain what we found was that your Thirteenth Tribe may have made it to Old Earth some time before the Final War. The records are sketchy and mostly circumstantial, but from what can be gathered is the Thirteenth Tribe may have help spark the Final War."

"What do you mean," Kara asks.

"Two organizations funded the Ukraine's research into the supersolider project, the Sons of Zeus and the Children of Heaven's Star. After the Glassing of Tokyo the organizations vanished, and even then before the war they appeared out of nowhere."

Kara fell back, her arms barely stopping the fall, "anything else?"

Weiden shook her head, "I'm sorry Captain Thrace but that is all I have. I am still trying to find more so I'll let you know if anything new is found." The AdvAI turns to Hikari, "Your Majesty, may I take my leave?"

"Of course, we have taken up your time long enough," Hikari said, Weiden soon disappeared. The Queen turned to face Kara, her expression grim. "I'm guessing that this wasn't the news you were expecting?"

Kara sits back up, "no, it wasn't, but honestly I think there is more to the story than that."

Hikari sighs, "I'm sure there is too. Kara I'm afraid that there is something else that we must discuss."

The pilot raised a brow, "oh?"

Hikari starts to tell Kara about her meeting with the Admiralty Board, including the part about the time travel theory. To say that Kara is speechless is an understatement, time travel was considered an impossibility in the Colonies. Then it hits her, if she is back twenty years before the Cylon attack the she could…

"Don't even think about it Captain Thrace," Hikari warns.

"Think about what, Your Majesty," Kara asks innocently.

"You thinking about going back to the Colonies before their fall, and try to prevent the attack," Hikari answers levelly.

"So what if I am," Kara snaps, "I could have a chance to prevent the deaths of over twenty billion Colonials! I can do some…."

"You will do nothing of the sort," Her Eternal Majesty shouted, "to do so would throw the very fabric of the Universe in turmoil. Think of it this way Captain, if you return to the Colonies before the attack and warn them and assuming that they believe you, the attack will be stop. But if the attack was stopped then the Remnant Fleet would have never left Cyrannus, then you would have never been in the attack that flung you to Mihoshi. Because of that you would never had found us and never gone to prevent the attack. Kara you would have fallen for the Grandfather Paradox, which is something that gives even the most brilliant scientist and philosophers' headaches."

Kara sat silently, letting what the Queen just said sink in and for her mind to process it. It took her a while but the former Viper pilot did get what Hikari was trying to say.

"So what you are saying is that I went back to the Colonies before the attack and warn them I would destroy the Universe?"

Hikari just shrugs, "maybe, maybe not, but let's not test it shall we." The Queen's expression becomes less grim, "so what are your plans now?"

Kara looks up, gathering her thoughts, "in the long run I want to find the Fleet and bring them here if I can."

"I don't see why not, I don't judge your people on the actions of the Thirteenth Tribe. I do promise you that when the time is right the Twelve Colonies of Kobol will be welcomed on Terra Nova. What about the short run?"

"In the short run I need a job, and the only things I know how to do, is to be a pilot and to be an officer." Kara's brown eyes gazed levelly into Hikari's onyx, "Your Majesty with your permission I would like to join the Silver Alliance-in-Exile Royal Navy."

_June 1__st__, 1901 PD, 964 AE_

_New Annapolis Naval Academy, Neo Tokyo Naval Yard, Terra Nova_

Kara walks through the wrought iron gates into the main campus for the Academy with a large duffle bag on her shoulder and a letter of recommendation from Her Eternal Majesty and the Daimyo of Mishigama. For the past few months Kara started to go through the means to become a full citizen of the SAE, she had to do this in order to enter New Annapolis. With no hesitation in her step, she marches to face her future. By the afternoon Kara, along with over five hundred other Exiles from Terra Nova and Abeona, completed their check in procedures, were issued uniform and dorm rooms. Now dressed in the uniform of a plebe, the new students gathered in Midway Square for their formal induction into the Silver Alliance-in-Exile Royal Navy. Kara looked around at her fellow plebes, she saw a blond haired woman that look very familiar, Kara glanced away for a moment before looking back and sees the woman had disappeared.

"I really must be losing it, seeing those fraking skinjobs here," she muttered to herself in Caprican.

Vice Admiral Sophia Romanov-Chiba, Commandant of the New Annapolis Naval Academy watched the incoming plebes with an appraising eye. When they were all in formation she called them to attention.

"Good afternoon everyone," she said, "welcome to New Annapolis. Every single one of have decide to take a great step by coming here, a choice that will dictate the rest of your life. You come from all walks of life; some of you are children of the Daimyos, some of you care the first in your family to get a collage education, and some are just looking for a new life." Her blue eyes sweep the formation before briefly falling on Kara. "Now all of you please raise you right hand and recite the Oath of Office."

They all raise their hand; Kara raises her without a hesitation and recites the oath the she already swore. "I, Kara Thrace, do solemnly swear that I will support and uphold the Articles of Alliance, protect the Silver Alliance-in-Exile, and defend her people, against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take the obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. By the Lords of Kobol, So Say We All."

It is at the point that she finishes recite the oath that Kara Thrace, formally of New Delphi on the planet Caprica of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, finally realized her situation. It finally sunk in that she is no longer a Caprican or a Colonial, but now an Exile.

Over the next few months Kara was worked to the bone. She had to learn all the various traditions and customs of the SAERN, along with massive amounts of physical training. All the while trying to resist the urge to kill or at least seriously maim the upperclassmen who were her leaders. She is older than them by couple years and already a veteran of countless battles, like hell she is going to take crap off a midshipman. But after the Plebe Summer the true training began, for the next two and half years Kara relearned everything it meant to be a naval officer.

Beside the fact that she was already a member of a military, two things helped her through the Academy without resorting to homicide. First is that during the breaks William Nagatabi invited her to his family home in Mishigama, where Rebecca, Ichigo his parents, and Tsubame his sister, welcomed her. But the one thing that truly helped was the Excalibur fighter-trainers; Kara felt the most at ease at the controls of a hypersonic fighter in mock dogfights against the upperclassmen. The First and Second Class Midshipmen learned the hard way that Starbuck never left, and she will always be the best.

As she moved up through the classes Kara found out some surprising things about herself. Because her innate ability to think outside the box, she ability to know absolutely where she is in relation to everything around her and vice-versa, and her ability to compute vector problems in her head, Kara Thrace saw herself become a rare breed of tactical officers, a Tac Witch. By 1903 PD, she graduated early from the Academy, and given her previous military experience she didn't do the Midshipman Cruise but is given equivalent rank from when she was in the Colonial Fleet. Thus in May, 1903 PD she left the Academy as a Lieutenant Senior Grade on the fast track to a Lt. Commander. Little did she know that in a few short years that war would arrive and the SAE would be drawn in.

_March 15__th__, 1905 PD_

_HEMS _Kitsune,_ SAERN 2__nd__ Fleet, Naval Station Eienhoshi_

Commander Kara Thrace, XO of the heavy cruiser _Kitsune_, is awaken suddenly as the General Quarters klaxons stared to ring. She hastily got off her rack and dressed in her camouflage working uniform and slips on her skinsuit. Within ten minutes after wakening she made it to her duty station in the bowels of the ship, the auxiliary CIC. When she entered the Aux-CIC her brown eyes swept the room finding that she is the last one in.

"Sit-rep," Kara ordered.

The bridge crew snapped to attention, "Ma'am at oh-five-thirty NTDT, we picked up the hyper footprints of six superdreadnoughts, eight battleships, ten battlecruisers, and over a score of screening units. From the emissions it's the Peeps."

Kara frowns, _there is only one reason why Haven would have a force that large_, "Frak," she curses as she sits down. She punches the intercom and rings the bridge, "Taicho this is the XO, Aux-CIC is ready to go."

"_Commander that is good to hear,"_ the Captain acknowledged, "_be ready Miss Thrace, we have thirty minutes till intercept_."

"Aye-Aye Taicho," she acknowledged and clicks off the intercom. She looks around the room, all the occupants eyes are on her, "all right peoples let's get to work, we have thirty minutes to get ready and I for one would like to not have my ass shot off by the Peeps."

It was closer to twenty minutes when the _Kitsune_ started to shudder as the first contact nuke hit her sidewall that is when the Battle of Eienhoshi began. For ten minutes the heavy cruiser spat out missiles and fired her laser and grasers, while Kara watches the holotank in the middle of Aux-CIC. One by one the crimson icons of the Havenite ships disappeared, but for every Peep ship destroyed another seems to take their place. From deep in the bowels of the _Kitsune_, Kara knew that the SAE wasn't going to win this one without taking heavy losses. Then the cruiser heaved as a bomb-pumped laser breeched her sidewall and impacted the hull.

"Damage report," Kara yelled.

"Ma'am we took a direct hit," Chief Gibson replied before hesitating.

"One what," Kara said testily.

"On the bridge Ma'am, all reports show it's open to vacuum."

"Frak," she said simply. "Guns track where that shot came from, I want that bastard out of my sky," she ordered the tactical officer.

In less than a minute the Havenite destroyer that got the luck hit is turned into plasma, Kara smirked as its icon flickered and went away.

"Message from the Flag," the com officer shouted.

"Put it on screen," Kara ordered.

The screen built into her console flickered into life as Admiral Minato Sinclair appeared on the screen.

"_Commander where is Captain Tyler,_" the aged flag officer asked.

"He's dead Sir."

"_I see, well then Commander you are hereby ordered to take your ship to hyperlimit and get Mihoshi as fast as you can to warn them_. _I have declared a Case Ragnarök Alpha._"

Kara stared at her screen in disbelief, "Sir why?"

Sinclair sighed, "_Commander we have no hope on keeping Eienhoshi, if the Peeps take out the Second Fleet they can have a direct unchallenged route to Terra Nova. We have to warn them._"

"Of course Sir, you better cover my ass."

"_Of course Commander, now get going_," he said with a chuckle as his screen goes out.

Kara looks back up at the holotank, "Helm get us to the hyperlimit, flight plan Tango, Astro plot the fastest course to Mihoshi."

"Aye Ma'am plan Tango," the helmsman said.

The _Kitsune_ pulled away from the Second Fleet and makes a mad dash for the hyperlimit, the point in space in which she can transit into hyperspace. As she does so she rolls on to her side, bringing the gravity stress bands of her impeller wedge to bare against enemy fire. Also she starts tacking, to only show her open stern aspect of her wedge to the Peeps for only the briefest of moments. Just as the cruiser was about to unfurl her sails, Kara noticed on the holotank that the turquoise icon for the _Aizu_, Admiral Sinclair's superdreadnaught flagship had vanished.

"Lords of Kobol hear my prayer, guide the fallen souls of the Second Fleet to Elysium Fields and condemn their enemies to deepest pits of Tartarus. So Say We All," she prayed just as HEMS _Kitsune_ transited across the Alpha-wall into hyperspace.

"Hyper-transit complete Ma'am," the astrogator called out.

"Thank you, take us off GQ, set Condition Two across the ship," Kara takes off the helmet for her skinsuit and breathes a sigh of relief. "Astro ETA to Mihoshi?"

"Thirty-six hours, though I might be able to scrape a few hours off the time."

"Good to hear," Kara said with a smile, but then started to space out. "Guns you have the con."

"Aye Ma'am I have the con," the tactical officer replied as Kara walked out of her duty station.

_HEMS _Mishigama_, SAERN 1__st__ Fleet, Terra Nova orbit, Mihoshi, 30 hours after the Battle of Eienhoshi_

Admiral Lady Umi Ison, 19th Daimyo of Mishigama, walked onto her flag bridge with a cup of tea in her hand and yawned.

"Anything new Mac," she asks.

The holographic vestige of a female military officer flickered into existence next to the admiral.

"Nothing really Milady, just a decrease in Havenite shipping in the system," Mackinaw, the AdvAI for the ship replies, then her head shot up as something crossed into her data. "Wait gravtronics have picked up an unscheduled hyper footprint, it one of ours. Heavy cruiser, most likely _Tanuki_-class coming in on a zero-zero intercept to Terra Nova, ETA is two hours, effective com range in forty-five minutes."

Umi frowns as she looks over at the master plot, "someone is in big hurry from Eienhoshi. Mac try and ID that ship and her captain ASAP, if Sinclair sent a CA out on currier duty that means something is going on."

Ten minutes later a message came in from the ship, with being ordered too Mac and the com officer put up on screen.

"_Admiral Mishigama this Commander Kara Thrace, XO and acting CO of the _Kitsune_, Ma'am Eienhoshi has fallen to the People's Republic. Admiral Sinclair has declared a Case Ragnarök-Alpha, I repeat Ragnarök-Alpha, _Kitsune_ out."_

Umi's jaw dropped at the declaration, Case Ragnarök-Alpha is exactly the same as the RMN's Case-Zulu, and like Case Zulu it is never drilled on. Umi knows that it means only one thing, invasion of Mihoshi is imamate.

"Com begin recording. 'Commander Thrace this Admiral Mishigama we read you loud and clear, Case Ragnarök-Alpha is acknowledged. Once you get in range you are to depart your ship for the _Mishigama_ to give a full report.' Transmit when ready."

"Aye-Aye Ma'am, on chip and sent."

"Good, Mac send message to Her Eternal Majesty and the First Lord about the Case Ragnarök."

"Already sent Ma'am," the AdvAI responded.

About an hour after transiting into the system Kara found herself on a pinnacle bound for the flagship of the First Fleet, commonly known as the Shield of Mihoshi. She gazed out the window as sees the looming hulk of the _Mishigama_ come in view. Unlike the sleek, graceful lines of the _Kitsune_, the massive kilometer long hull of the superdreadnought was designed not for raiding or scouting, but crushing might of the Wall of Battle. Her pale-turquoise hull gleamed in the light Mihoshi A and B, giving the massive ship a jewel like quality. The young commander fidgeted with the midnight-blue uniform coat, making sure that her ribbons were straight along with the shoulder patch with the snarling nine-tailed fox on her left shoulder.

Within a few minutes the pinnacle docked with the superdreadnought and Kara disembarked and swam down the access tube into the SD, on the other side only Captain Katsuro Hasegawa, the CO of the _Mishigama,_ was waiting for them. As she crosses the red line transiting from the zero-g of the tube to the 1.13 g of the warship, she salutes the SAE flag hanging far wall of the boat bay.

"Permission to come aboard Captain," Kara asks, saluting Hasegawa.

"Permission granted Commander," he replies, "it best that we hurry, since time is of the essence."

"Of course Captain, lead the way."

He leads her through the labyrinth of corridors and ascended into the core of the superdreadnought. In a few short minutes they entered a large room with people run to and fro, Admiral Lady Umi Ison is hunched over a large chart table in the center of the room, her uniform coat thrown over a nearby chair. Kara could see the Admiral is deep in whatever she is doing, the planning of the defense of Mihoshi.

"Lady Mishigama," Hasegawa said as he and Kara entered the room, "I have Commander Thrace of the _Kitsune_ with me."

Umi looks up from system charts and motions for them to come in. "Captain you may return to your post, Commander please have a seat."

Hasegawa saluted Umi before doing an about face and leaves the room. Kara took one of the seats in front of the table.

"Commander Thrace let's cut to the chase since we don't have a lot of time, what happen at Eienhoshi," the Admiral asks.

Kara shits nervously in her seat, she has heard that tone many a time from Adama. She begins to tell Umi about the battle, how even from the outset that it seemed one sided.

"So by the time the _Kitsune_ left the system over half of the Second Fleet was wiped out, luckily a third of the Fleet was out of the system patrolling," Kara said.

"Did Admiral Sinclair send any one to intercept the rest of the Second Fleet?"

"We didn't get any message from the Flag about that, but we did see a few of the destroyers and light cruisers making a run for the hyperlimit, so yes they have been warned."

Umi relaxes her tense shoulders at this, "that's good to know, now we can rest easy knowing that all we need to do is plan the defenses for Mihoshi." Umi looks back down at the chart on the table, Kara can see a hexagonal gird map of the Mihoshi Binary System, mostly focused on Terra Nova and the hyperlimit on the Eienhoshi side of the system. Small plastic models of the units of the 1st Fleet are scatted across the chart, the models form concentric arc protecting the capital planet, Terra Nova. "At least we know about how many ships they have, and when and where they are coming from."

Kara focuses on the chart, her own tactical training starting to kick in. "I wouldn't too sure about that Ma'am, if I were the Peeps I would have some extra ship in reserve if I were attacking one of the most fortified systems outside of Haven or Manticore." Kara starts move a few of the models in better formation while Umi looks on with a smirk on her face.

"Well Tac Witch, looks like the Peeps are going to be in for a surprise then," Umi said, the smirk turning malicious. "All right people let's get to work, we only a have a few hours till they get here!"

In a few short hours the field is set. The Ishtar Belt, which lie just within the hyperlimit of Mihoshi-A has been heavily mined, with a few frigates and destroyers scattered among the asteroids, thus forming the outer line of defense. The middles lines is the bulk of the 1st Fleet, most of superdreadnoughts and the battlecruisers, the lighter unit such as the heavy cruisers and light cruisers are guarding the flanks along with hundreds of missile pods scattered among the ship. The inner defenses is the Halo ring encircling the planet, unknown to most civilians there are grasers and missile launchers on the ring, and it is the only part of the defenses operated by the Orbital Guard, along with the Halo are the Orbital Guard's frigates and destroyers. On the surface of the planet the Prefecture Guard along with the Royal Marines are ready just in case the People's Marines make it to the surface. Any and all merchant traffic has been rerouted to Abeona, the habited moon around Mihoshi-B III, Maxwell, which is being protected by the armed merchantmen of the 3rd Fleet .

Due to the damage the _Kitsune_ suffered she was sent to the _Hachiman,_ the main shipyard located in the Ishtar Belt, far away from the coming battle. Kara herself is transferred to the _Mishigama_ as the tactical officer for the entire 1st Fleet is now currently in her skinsuit on the flag bridge of the _Mishigama_. The entire Fleet is silent except a burst of com traffic to help get over one hundred ships into formation.

"Hyper footprint," the Kara shouted, "I'm getting one-fifty point sources at twenty-two light-minutes from Mihoshi-A at the direction of Eienhoshi, it the Peeps."

Umi's expression remained neutral, "very well, relay the data dirt side."

A minute passed when the entire Fleet received a message from the surface. Her Eternal Majesty Hikari III, Queen of Mihoshi, Eienhoshi, and Umihoshi, Head of the Silver Alliance-in-Exile and Empress of Japan, addresses the Shield of Mihoshi.

"To the First Fleet of the of my Royal Navy, or really the Shield of Mihoshi as you are now, we are about to fight the largest battle in the history of the SAE. We are out man, and out gunned but need not tell you what will happen if fail in fight." Hikari pauses as to collect her thoughts, "no greater sacrifice has ever been asked of a people, but I ask you now, to step forward one last time. One last battle to hold the line against the night! May the Kami go with you all. Remember we are the Exiles, Clad in Silver we walk amongst the stars. " Hikari disappears from the screen, every one once again silent.

"Com give me Fleet wide," after a affirmative Umi continues on. "I know that Her Eternal Majesty didn't say this but let add to her words, if we lose this fight we will lose not just our lives, but our homes, and families, and I for one will not wish to see the SAE become a fiefdom of the People's Republic. Simply surrender on any scale is not an option, but let it be known that we will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Miss Thrace send the go ahead to the outer defense, set Condition One throughout the Fleet."

"Aye-Aye message sent, Condition One set," Kara shouted as the klaxons started sound, everyone on the bridge tap a button on the side of their helmets to close the visors. "ETA of Havenite fleet is one hour and thirty minutes, they will cross the outer line in ten minutes"

"Thanks you Miss Thrace, not people let's get to work."

Time to seem to tick by slowly after the announcement, then the status changed on Kara screen as the Havenite fleet encounter the mines. The mines were simple proximity guided bomb-pumped lasers, X-ray lasers powered by nuclear shape charges. These powerful lasers lanced out at the unsuspecting ships, most of the beams glanced harmlessly of the impeller wedges, while a few hit the sidewalls, and a even smaller number hit true, tearing at the armor hulls of their prey. The superdreadnoughts and battleships survived the initial salvos due to their heavy armor, but the smaller vessels weren't so lucky.

"Status change," Kara said looking at her plot, "no loss on the wallers, but about thirty percent of the screening units are gone."

Umi smirked at the news, "heh, heh excellent, and let's hope that our destroyers and frigates can take out the rest." He expression shifted to that a true commander, "Helm take us to them, lets meet the Peeps half way, Miss Thrace signal the Fleet to follow."

As Second Fleet of the Silver Alliance-in-Exile Royal move to face their enemy, Kara Thrace looks out at the stars knowing that she will not let her new home fall. The two great fleets sped towards each other, ready to close the gap. When they were only a few minutes from each other Umi started to sense the buildup tension and anxiety.

"Mac," she said before the hologram flickered into life, "I think some music would be excellent for the situation, something nice and dramatic, Mac play movement one of Carmina Burana, O Fortuna."

"Which version Milady," Mac asks

Umi smirks, "Trans-Laurasian Orchestra."

As the drums started beat of one of the most dramatic pieces of music of the 2nd Century Ante Diaspora burst in over the speakers the two fleets, one of white, the other pale-turquoise, began firing. Kara's fingers moved franticly over her console, plotting various firing solutions to sent over to Mac. Briefly she will look up at the battle in front of her, unlike the fast pace dog-fights or Battlestar/Basestar battles she was used to, the battle she is witnessing now is a slow dance of death, an endless waltz. Kara knew that battles between the People of the Diaspora would be different than back in the Colonies, to see it for herself is awe-inspiring. The Colonials and the Cylons used kinetic-energy weapons, contact nukes, and fighters. But here at the Battle of Mihoshi the great superdreadnoughts duke it out in the crushing might of the Wall of Battle, grasers and laser lance out from the broadsides, impeller driven missiles streak out of their launch tubes carrying their deadly cargo of bomb-pumped lasers and contact nukes. Periodically bright flashes can be seen as the containment of the fusion plants failed, and the ships being engulfed in a expanding plume of plasma. Kara thought that she had seen it all, truly experienced naval warfare, but not even the battle over the skies of New Caprica could compare to this. Only one other point in history could compare to this, the Age of Sail has returned once again.

Even as she watched the marvelous display of destruction, Kara knows that the battle could go either way. The SAE has the tech edge, only the Star Kingdom of Manticore can surpass the SAE in that regard, but the Havenites has more ships, and their weapons carried an heavier yield. The backbone of the SAERN is the battlecruiser, fast and sleek, able to outgun anything that could outrun them, and outrun anything that could outgun them, but against the PN the backbone would surely shatter.

"Admiral we just lost the _Suna_, the _Kiri, _and _Iwa_, the _Mnisota_ has take heavy damage. We're losing ships too fast," Mac shouted.

Umi grimaced as the _Mishigama_ was hit, X-ray stilettos tore at her side, for reason Mac grasped her side and moaned in pain.

"Guns get every available ship and missile pods to target the center of the Havenite wall, I want that Teme out of my sky!"

"Aye-Aye Ma'am," Kara replied, "Mac I need some help over here."

Kara's banged away at her controls, like a conductor of an orchestra she conducted each missile tube and graser mount like if they were musicians, each firing solution became notes, each time they fired became the beat. Kara Thrace, Tac Witch, Maestro of Death, conducted her symphony of destruction. Even then it wasn't enough, the 1st Fleet managed to take out the Havenite screening units but the solid core of superdreadnoughts remained. Umi cursed as more of her wall gave way until the gravity sensors picked up the unexpected.

"Statius change, gravtronics hyper footprints from the direction of Eienhoshi."

"Havenite," Umi questioned.

"No Ma'am," the sensor officer paused to double check their readings, "Great Kami-Sama, their ours! It's the Second Fleet!"

With the arrival of the remnants of the 2nd Fleet, the battle over the skies of Terra Nova took a turn in favor of the SAERN. The Havenite force realizing that they are now outnumbered and out gunned tried to make a break for the hyperlimit, only to be cut down by the missile pods and mines hidden in the Ishtar Belt, and the 2st and 2nd Fleets. In the end the Silver Alliance-in-Exile paid a great cost in the defense of their home system, over half of the 2nd Fleet was destroyed, including most of the wallers, the 1st Fleet faired a bit better since they had time to prepare and mostly lost their light screening units. The Havenites were forced to pay for every drop of Exile blood spilled by the battles; the Peeps lost most of their attack force.

Because of the damage sustained by the Royal Navy, Her Eternal Majesty and Parliament had no choice but to officially ally themselves with the Star Kingdom of Manticore when war was declared on the Republic. When Hikari and her envoy arrived in Manticore they found out that the Havenites did not just attack the SAE but also attacked the RMN's Hancock Station and the Protectorate of Grayson. However due to the political situation on Manticore the true start of the counter-attack was delayed while the House of Lords debated, this fact was compounded when word reached Manticore that the People's Republic of Have suffered a massive coup d'état. Overnight the Legislaturalists who had ruled Haven for centuries were wiped out by attacks by the 'Navy', in the aftermath a new government is formed, the Committee of Public Safety led by Oscar Saint-Just, Cordelia Ransom, and the chair Robert Stanton Pierre, in Nouveau Paris on Haven.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Mihoshi, Kara was awarded the Navy Cross, the SAE's second highest medal of valor, and is given command of the _Kitsune_. The galaxy is now torn apart by a great war, the First Manticore-Havenite War descended upon the Milky Way. On a planet on the far side of Sol from Terra Nova the handsome man sat in his office watching the news being played, think that all is going according to plan.

*****

**Translation Notes:**

Mihoshi: Beautiful Star, capital system for the SAE. Eienhoshi: One of two exo-system possessions, current HQ for the 2nd Fleet, means Eternal Star. Umihoshi: the other exo-system possession of the SAE, calmed in 1904 PD as a source of Tylium, mean Ocean Star. Mishigama: one of the original prefectures on Terra Nova, its name is the root for the name Michigan. Mnisota: one of the original prefectures on Terra Nova, its name is the root for the name Minnesota. Alyeska: one of the original prefectures on Terra Nova, its name is the root for the name Alaska. Aizu: one of the original prefecture on Terra Nova, it is names after one of the old Japanese feudal domains during the Edo period. Weiden: HI-CT-AdvAI-003-Weiden, AdvAI assigned to the Alliance Archives. Her name comes from the Proto-Indo-European word 'weid', which mean to see, to know. Taicho: Japanese for Captain, in the SAERN it is the equivalent in usage to Skipper

**Paladin's Note**: Well so ends chapter three, so far this has been the hardest for me to write, simply because it was the first battle scene that I have done, so if it sucked that's why. Ok so the stage is set for the next 20 or so years of Kara's military career, and for the forces working in the background. I give you all a challenge; tell who the man is at the beginning of the chapter and what the prototype is.

On a side note, I was reading some Naruto and Bleach fanfics when I kept coming across names of characters that used Kara as a root or as the name itself. That got me wondering, what could Kara mean in Japanese? It turns out that Kara is an actual word in Japanese, in kanji it is written as this から, when translated kara means shell, husk, hull, chaff, or emptiness. I wonder if the writers of BSG knew that.


End file.
